If I love her, why can't you too?
by JD Merchant
Summary: Emily's friends didn't accept Paige. They thought she was against Emily, constantly trying to hurt her. Then, when Emily falls victim to a vicious beating staged as a homophobic hate crime, the Liars put Paige on the hotseat. But what happens when they find out a much more dangerous situation is at hand; A is back with terrifying new torture methods up her sleeve.
1. Chapter 1

Emily Fields always felt the need for her peer's acceptance. Whether it was swimming or academics, an urge inside her willed her to overachieve in order to get those smiles and pats on the back from her parents and friends. It was like a craving, slowly draining her life force, working her to death for a 'good job, Em' or a 'keep up the good work'. That's why Emily dreaded seeing her three best friends, Aria Hanna and Spencer, that day at work. She couldn't get over the fact that they all had a special place in their hearts for rejecting Emily's girlfriend, Paige.

Sure, at first, Paige made fun of Emily for being gay and even went so far as to have her Dad accuse the swimming coach of favoriting Emily for her sexual orientation, but Emily understood that it was only because Paige was hiding in a closet that seemed to have no exit, terrified to even breathe. She kissed Emily one night after a swim meet, confessing her feelings, and ever since that day, the two were glued to eachother.

Emily knew it didn't matter though. Her friends still seemed to hate Paige and it infuriated Emily. Aria was dating her teacher, Hanna a formerly homeless bad boy, and Spencer a former outcast and ex-suspect in the murder of their best friend. Emily accepted all of her friends boyfriends, so why wouldn't they at least give Paige a chance? They had accepted Maya and she took part in drugs. Did one of her friends know something about Paige that Emily didnt?

It was hell to think about, so Emily simply pushed it in the back of her mind to broil like she often did with problems, gripping her steering wheel firmly. _The least they could do is give her a chance. Not discount her before they know her._ Emily thought, not being successful in her attempt to think about something else. She had just left her house and was headed to the Rear Window brew for her closing shift.

God, how she detested Thursday night shifts. Everyboy in Rosewood seemed to treat Thursday like another day of the weekend and all of the teens and adults alike would pile into the coffee shop, creating a line that never seemed to deplete. Emily always got stuck closing until midnight or later and that inevitably led to Friday morning tardiness for swim practice. On lucky days, the coach would be running late too and Emily would be off the hook, but lately Coach Slocomb was coming in early and Emily had been forced to swim laps around the pool as fast as she could for the first half of class. Emily missed Coach Fulton so much. She was so lenient on Emily, it wasn't even funny and this new coach was running the dark skinned swimmer into the ground.

As Emily neared the main road to Rear Window, her phone vibrated in her lap. Emily looked down to see a text message from Paige lighting up her screen. Sighing, Emily pulled over to the side of the road, turning on her hazard lights, and opening the message.

_Paige: Hey beautiful! Wanna grab a bite 2 eat tonight?_

Emily smiled at Paige's message. She always greeted Emily with "hey beautiful" and it made Emily warm inside. Paige seemed to cherish her more than anything. Emily just hoped her friends would be able to see that. Still grinning loudly, she began typing back a message.

_Emily: Can't. So sorry, babe! Have work!_

Less than ten seconds later, Emily's phone vibrated with another text.

_Paige: It's okay(: Want me to visit u and put u out of ur misery?_

_Emily: Aria Spence and Hanna are coming ):_

_Paige: Bad time to show up w/ flowers and profess my love for u?_

_Emily: Haha, perfect time, actually! I just wish they would accept you. ):_

_Paige: Me 2.. u there yet?_

_Emily: otw_

_Paige: Plz tell me u arent txting and driving_

_Emily: Pulled over. I wouldnt. _

_Paige: Good cuz I love ya too much _

_Emily: I love you too, Paige. I have to head out. Text you when I get there?_

_Paige: Def. Bye, baby_

Emily tossed her phone in to the passengers seat and pulled back on to the main road, beginning her trek to Rear Window once again, but with a more positive outlook. How could her friends possibly be blind to how cute Paige was with Emily? She was sweet and caring and if anybody rose a hand to Emily they would lose it so fast that scientists would be baffled that something went quicker than the speed of light.

After a few minutes on the open road, Emily pulled into the Rear Window parking lot, getting out and locking her door.

_Emily: Here._

She quickly typed, walking into the front door. Her shift wasn't scheduled to start until 6:00, but Emily made it a goal to be punctual, 15 minutes early just in case Zack needed immediate help. When she got there, her stomach tied itself in knots. Aria, Spencer, and Hanna were already there. They had said they would visit her around 7:00, but there they all sat around the coffee table closest to the door. Emily eyed them as they talked in a close knit huddle. Maybe she could sneak past?

She headed for the counter, but before she could get to work, Hanna called to her.

"Em! Get over here." She shouted. Emily clenched her jaw, blowing air through her teeth and walking over to her friends, trying her best to appear cheery.

"Why're you avoiding us?" Spencer immediately said.

"Hi to you too, Spence." Emily rolled her eyes, sitting down as she got a glare from Spencer. "What do you mean avoiding you?"

"Oh come on, Emily. We're your best friends and your treating us like that creepy, homeless guy who always hits on you at the park." Aria clarified, narrowing her eyes on her friend. Emily really wasn't in the mood to talk about this again, but she knew it was going to happen.

"For real, you won't return our calls or texts. I had an emergency hair crisis yesterday that needed a serious dose of Emily and I'm pretty sure you sent me to voicemail." Hanna put in her two cents as well. Great, so they were noticing.

"My phone has been dead." Emily lied, obviously.

"Not when you're texting Paige all period at school..." Spencer's voice trailed off as she stared at Emily, hard.

"Why do you hate her so much?" Emily felt her voice quiver as she spoke. She loved those three girls to death, but they were hurting her by hating her girlfriend.

"Hate is a strong word." Aria replied, averting her gaze from Emily. Emily's dark brown eyes had turned cold and Aria couldn't stand to look into them.

"We don't hate her, we're just cautious." Spencer shurgged, taking a sip from her tall coffee and brushing a strand of her dark brown hair behind her shoulder.

"You talk about her like she's Jenna or something, like she doesn't belong." Emily shot back, feeling her agitation grow against her will.

"She made fun of you, Em. She caused a lot of people to make fun of you for something completely out of your hands." Hanna replied, now looking directly into Emily's eyes with her soft, crystal ocean's.

"She shouldn't have humiliated you like she did. Especially since she is just like you." Spencer cut in again, her replies always more blunt then the other two girls.

"Just like me? You mean _gay_? What, are we not using that word or something? You all seemed to love Ben." Emily felt her eyes welling up, threatening to spill over, but she refused to cry in front of her friends.

"Oh drop it, Em, You know we don't care if you're gay." Spencer snapped.

"We care that you're dating someone that tried to hurt you." Aria said, in a softer than Spencer's had been. She noticed Emily's rage growing. They didn't want to rock Emily too much.

"Tried, past tense, right? And now she is _**trying**_ to make things better. She loves me a lot, guys. And I love her, too. So get over it." Emily stood, engulfed in her own anger. "The least you could do for me after Maya is accept who I choose to move on with!" The last sentence took the breath from Emily and she stopped for a minute, collecting her thoughts.

Without a second of hesitation, Hanna was by Emily's side, holding her tight.

"Okay, Emily. Okay. I promise I will keep an open mind. I'm sorry." She whispered, stroking Emily's hair. Aria looked on in sorrow, eventually standing and touching Emily's arm for comfort.

"Me too." She squeaked. Spencer, hesitantly stood as well, moving in close to the other girls.

"I don't like her, but I don't like seeing you upset. So I will try as well." It pained Spencer to have to force herself to accept somebody that hurt her best friend over and over, but what could she do? Nothing ever turned out correctly when she tried to help people. She tried to help Toby find out what really happened to his mother and that ended in a fight. She tried to help Melissa move back in home and that ended in a failed relationship with her then boyfriend Wren. She tried to help everyone and it always failed. Maybe she should just smile and support Emily while she did whatever she wanted.

No, that wasn't Spencer.

She would support Emily, but also try to help her, figure out what Paige was all about and what she really wanted.

Just then, Emily's phone buzzed. She took it out of her pocket.

"What?" She whispered, opening the message. It was a random number that she didn't have saved.

_+16107183465: Hey, babe, it's Paige! Phone died, using my friends. Car broke down. Please help?_

_Emily: Be there asap. Lemme ask Zack real quick. Where are you?_

_+16107183465: Cherrybird and Brisbane. Near the school. And thanks!_

"It's Paige." Emily whispered. "Her and her friend are broken down. I gotta go help them." She told her friends, checking her watch. She could get to Paige within the hour and probably get her up and running. Her father had taught her a lot about cars.

Spencer eyed her friend suspicously as she replied to the text message from her girlfriend. Paige knew a thing or two about cars. Why would she need Emily's help? Of course, Emily probably hadn't thought this through because she was so heated, but Spencer felt a weird energy come about. The air didn't feel right, but she couldn't put her tongue on it.

"You want us to go with you?" Hanna asked.

"I think I got it." Emily called, already walking towards Zack at the register. "Hey, Zack, my girlfriend is having car problems and I'm the only one she can contact. I was wondering if I can go help her really quick. I promise to be back as soon as possible and I'll-"

Zack held up a hand, cutting her off.

"Go ahead, we're slow. No later than 7:30, though, okay Emily? I can't be shortstaffed on a Thursday and Tracey is out of town." He finished as he shoed Emily off.

"Thank you!" Emily smiled, waving to her friends as she dashed out the door, into her car, and pulled off towards the school.

After about ten minutes, Emily was baffled. Her car sat, parked at the intersection of Cherrybird and Brisbane. She had gotten out and walked up and down the intersection for a few minutes, yet she saw no Paige, no broken down car, no sign of either one. She pulled her phone from her pocket.

_Emily: Where are you?_

_+16107183465: Right here.(:_

Emily felt a chill shock her spine. She looked around, surveying the area. Something wasn't right.

Suddenly, Emily was tumbling towards the ground with a sharp pain in her shoulder blade. She turned around to see four unfamiliar faces staring down at her; two jocks with letterman jackets on, and two girls, one blonde and one brunette. The husky jock pulled Emily up right from her shocked place on the road, standing her up and keeping a firm grip on the girls arm.

Emily's throat closed up, her stomach dropping lower every second.

"What do you want?" She choked out, absolutely dizzy.

"Shut up, bitch." The Brunette growled.

"Easy, J." The dark haired jock laughed. "We're teaching her a lesson, not bullying her." His grin hid some unexplicable evil and it tortured Emily down to the core. Something awful was about to happen, she could tell by the way the jock continued. "See, it's not bullying to correct someone on their wrongdoings. It's teaching, right?" He grinned that evil smile again as the others agreed.

"What lesson?" Emily wondered, still confused. She tried to collect every detail she could about these people so if anything bad happened she could identify. Both of the jock's had football patches on their lettermans with names on the back; the husky one was "Kendrick" and the dark haired one was "Simpson". The girls had no distinctive features besides the scar running down the blonde's arm. Emily also noticed Simpson calling the brunette "J". Before she could collect much more the wind was knocked out of her by a powerful punch to the stomach.

Emily screamed, gasping for air as Kendrick roughly pulled her back up, putting a hand over her mouth.

"That screwing other girls is wrong. You're a freak and need to be changed." Simpson laughed as he backhanded Emily, causing a taste of metal to arise in her mouth. His laugh was piercing, smooth, and haunting. Absolutely flawless and distinct like a melody in the abandoned road.

Suddenly, a dreadful thought passed through Emily's mind. This was a set up. Paige hadn't broken down on the road, her phone hadn't died, she didn't need Emily. Whoever these people were just lured her there to bash her skull in. She had to get out!

"This...is about me...being gay." Emily breathed heavily, still recovering from the punch dealt to her.

"You bet." J snarled, stepping forward. "Let me have a turn, Paul." She said to Simpson. A turn. She said it casually like beating up Emily was a game. It was sick, but Emily now had a new piece of info. The dark haired one's full name was Paul Simpson. Noted.

Paul nodded, stepping aside as J slapped Emily once, then again, then again, each one packing more force. Emily whimpered as the blows stung, one on top of the other. She could feel the welts and bruises beginning to form and then suddenly the slapping stopped. Emily sighed in relief. Too soon. A punch replaced the slaps, stinging worse.

"Let go of her, Kendrick." She said to the husky jock, who obeyed without hesitation. The blonde with the scar seemed to look on with an emotion that was unexpected to Emily: guilt.

"Please." Emily heard herself beg as a tear threatened to spill over her freshly forming cuts and bruises. Maybe the blonde would stop her friends if Emily made herself more vulnerable.

"Not a chance, Ellen Degeneres." J spat, punching Emily so hard in the chest she fell to her knees. The blonde looked away. Emily's attempts at seeming vulnerable were futile. This J girl was relentless. She kicked Emily in the stomach, forcing her onto the ground where she landed another kick in Emily's side.

"You and that dumb bitch Paige walk around Rosewood like you're the hottest couple in town, but lemme just tell you sweetie, you won't be doing that anymore unless you want this lesson to continue." J snarled.

"You think this makes you better than me? Kicking the crap out of a helplessly outnumbered girl. You'll be behind bars in seconds and Daddy won't be able to break you out." Emily antagonized. Maybe it would get her attackers angry enough to beat her unconscious then leave. The sooner this ended the better.

"You little-" Three kicks to her ribs later and Emily was once again gasping for air. J pulled the injured girl up from the ground and backhanded her back onto the cement road. Emily hit her head hard and felt her hair become matted with blood instantly as the horror continued. Why was nobody driving down this road?

"Maybe Paige needs some tutoring, too." Paul interjected. Emily's eyes glazed over in fury. She forced herself to her knees.

"You leave her alone or I swear to God I will end you!" She growled, pain evident in her voice as she clutched her stomach tightly. Why were they doing this? How did they get her number?

"Oh, looks like we got a fierce one." Kendrick laughed, pushing into Emily's back with his shoe so that she was on her hands and knees. "You arent doing it right. Let me."

The husky jock walked over to Emily's side and kicked her so hard in the stomach that she literally flew into the front wheel of her car two feet away, screaming out in pain and clutching her stomach. That was when she noticed her phone had fallen from her pocket and was lying a few inches away. Emily reached her hand forward for the phone. She could dial 911 quickly if she could just reach the phone.

"Oh, did I mention I'm a starting varsity kicker? Current world record holder for the hardest kick." Kendrick smiled, his wideset eyes glinting with excitement. He noticed Emily reaching for the phone and stomped on her wrist, eliciting a scream. He then crouched down beside Emily, pocketing the phone.

"I have a friend I'd like you show you." Kendrick reached into his letterman and produced a pocket knife, sharp as a tack and shining. He put the blade up to her face and poked her.

"Please, god please, don't." She cried, finally letting her tears flow with full force. Suddenly, Kendrick brought the knife across Emily's face. It wasn't deep, but it still was a cut and it still was bleeding. Emily screamed out.

"You idiot, what are you doing!?" Paul growled. "No weapons remember? You aren't supposed to kill her!"

"Please, enough!" Emily cried, shielding her face from anymore harm. Kendrick then pulled out a sharpie, scrawling something on Emily's forhead before he angrily stood up.

"Fine, finish her and meet me in the car." He snapped back, walking off. The last thing Emily felt was several kicks to her back and stomach before succumbing to the darkness looming around her.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh, hey, Aria." Paige McCullers greeted the tiny best friend of her girlfriend as she entered the brew's fancy bathroom.

"Hey, Paige! Is your car alright?" Aria said back with little suspicion. So Emily really was as good at cars as she claimed to be. "That was quick." She shrugged, wiping her hands off on a towel that had automatically dispensed for her.

"What do you mean?" Paige inquired with a furrowed brow. "Have you seen Em yet? I tried calling her a few times, but it went straight to voicemail." Paige smiled just at the thought of her beautiful girlfriend. Talking about Emily always brought a smile to Paige's face. "I thought I'd stop by and surprise her at work." She finished, feeling the smile on her face beginning to fade as Aria's expression contorted into confusion.

"What?" Aria whispered, her gaze not moving from Paige's.

"What's wrong?" Paige heard her voice crack as a flood of worry washed over her.

"Emily said she got a text from you saying you were having car troubles and needed her help. She left." Aria shook her head, looking down as if trying to see a path to some sort of answer. Unease replaced her confusion.

"Why would I make Emily take off work over car troubles? I fully restored my Mustang by myself." Paige asserted, feeling the need to protect her innocence. She knew Spencer would be all over a list of suspects as soon as she found out and Paige was willing to bet she'd top the list.

"Oh no." Aria closed her eyes, her head ducked as she tried to come up with some sort of explanation. "We need to find her. Now." She demanded, grabbing Paige's hand and pulling her out of the restroom. Before they could reach Hanna and Spencer, Paige pulled away from Aria and spun the tiny girl around.

"They are going to automatically blame me." Paige assured Aria, a deep look of consternation stained in her eyes.

"This could be serious, Paige. After we found A's lair in Ravenswood we stopped getting texts. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't think it's like A to just stop like that. She's planning something. And Emily could just be the beginning." Aria expressed, snatching up Paige's hand again and dragging her to the other two girls. "We have a problem." Aria immediately said. Spencer's eyes shot directly to Paige's and the room suddenly began to tilt.

"What?" Hanna wondered, studying the serious expressions on both Paige and Aria's faces.

"Emily's missing." Paige put forth, waiting for the impact Spencer's glare would have on her.

"I never texted her asking for her help. I came up here to surprise her at work. Aria just told me she went off to fix my car which doesn't make sense because she knows I love cars." Paige explained again, quick to assert that she was not at fault.

"She said it was from you. Has anybody else had your phone?" Spencer interrogated, her stare growing colder and harder as the minutes passed. It was an immense stare and Paige didn't know how anybody escaped it.

"No. It's been with me from the last time she texted me. I was in the pool so I didn't get a chance to text her back, but it never left my sight. Do you guys know where she is?" Paige wondered, cocking her head at Hanna, who was the only one playing nice with her.

"All she said was you were having car troubles. I did see her take off in her car on Brisbane though and there are only three places that goes to." Hanna informed the other girls to which Spencer chimed in.

"The school, Bridger's park, and the cemetery." She whispered, having a sort of mini revelation.

"So we split up then? Me and Paige will go to the school and you two can check the park and cemetery." Hanna said.

"No. The park is behind my house. If I needed car help that was beyond my knowledge I'd be able to go to my house and get my Dad or someone." Paige corrected Hanna as Spencer still glpwered at the girl, never moving even when she spoke. Paige turned to Spencer. "Is there a problem?" She said, a bit more harshly than necessary.

"I'm just thinking about how convenient it is that you come up here fifteen minutes after Emily disappears with answers to all of our questions. How long does it take to get here from your house? Ten minutes? That's enough time to go through a plan." Spencer folded her arms. Paige scoffed in obvious disappointment. How could anybody think she would try to harm the girl she loved so much?

"I wouldn't do anything to hurt her, Spencer."

"Really, Spence? Play nice. We need to find Em." Aria rolled her eyes, pulling Spencer out of the door with Hanna and Paige trailing her.

"We will meet back here in half an hour. If you see anything, call us!" Hanna shouted as she lured Paige to her car.

"I'm really sorry, Paige." Hanna finally said after they had started on the road towards the school. She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel impatiently, finding comfort in the clicks of her nails on the smooth leather.

"Sorry for?" Paige wondered, staring at the road straight ahead. If she looked away, they could easily pass Emily by if she were on the road. A milky sunset had begun forming and the air was dusty, hard to see past.

"Spencer. She can be a bit…skeptical." Hanna answered.

"Skeptical isn't really the right word, Hanna," Paige replied. "She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you. She is just really protective over Em since the Maya thing." Hanna began, occasionally looking at Paige to confirm that she was listening.

"I'm not going anywhere, though. And I couldn't even bring myself to think of hurting Emily." Paige said, unsure of where Hanna was going until she continued.

"A has done a lotta shit to us for the last three years, but she has never killed someone as close to us as Maya was to Emily. That bitch took the most important thing to Emily and Spencer doesn't want to see her hurting anymore." Hanna finished, squinting at the road to try and find the turn to get into the school.

"So that's it? I'm gonna hurt her because I'm not Maya?" Paige questioned, a bit confused.

"Not because you aren't Maya, but because you have that same influence over Emily that Maya did." Hanna turned down a road and could see the school looming in the distance.

"That's her car!" Paige screamed, pointing towards a beat up black odyssey. The sides of the car were slashed as were the tires and as they got closer to the scene, the crooked, misshapen shadow of a girl on the pavement could be made out.

As Hanna sped closer to the car, the shadow gathered more and more detail until the blonde slammed on her breaks.

"That's Emily!" Paige screamed, jumping out of the car before Hanna could put it in park and dashing to the ground beside her bloodied girlfriend. "Oh my- There is so much blood." Paige cried, her eyes gathering the haunting image of Emily's beaten face. "Oh god, Em, what did they do to you?" Paige wailed. How could someone do such a thing?

Hanna had never heard so much pain in a persons voice. She joined Paige by Emily's side, not wanting to touch her friend for fear of doing more damage.

"What the hell." Hanna whispered, dumbfounded. She immediately picked up her cell phone and called Aria. After a few moments, the girl picked up.

"Han? What's up?"

"We found her." Hanna explained, her voice shaky. Her mind hadn't completely wrapped itself around the situation yet. Shock absorbed her, holding back her tears and confusion and pain. There was only utter surprise.

"On our way. Is she okay? Can I talk to her?" Aria wondered, relief flooding out all of the concern she had before.

"No."

"What? Why, what's wrong?"

"Aria." Hanna paused to collect herself. "Somebody hurt her."

"What do you mean somebody hurt her?!" Aria became instantly frustrated. Was A already back again? Hanna heard Spencer curse over the receiver before continuing.

"She's lying unconscious in the road." Hanna frantically explained.

"A hit and run?"

"Her car is keyed. I don't think it was an accident." Hanna heard Spencer yell something in the car, tires screeching as she whipped the car around and towards the school.

"Hanna!" Paige's shrill voice cried out. She noticed something written on Emily's forehead. Hanna darted to Paige.

"Spencer says wake her up, Han!" Hanna ignored Aria, taking in a sharp breath as she read the words "We win" on Emily's head.

"She is hurt. I don't want to touch her." Hanna pulled Paige on to her shoulder with her free hand as the girl bawled her eyes out. It was then that Hanna began to realize how much Paige cared for Emily.

"When you say hurt, what do you mean hurt? Is it serious? Is anything broken? Did you see the attacker?" Aria fired the questions so quickly it made Hanna dizzy. She took a minute to cage her thoughts back in.

"Slow down, Aria. I don't know what happened. It looks like someone beat the crap out of her." Hanna snapped her eyes shut when she heard Aria's disgruntled gasp in disbelief on the other end of the phone. It was a pained gasp, a shocked one full of confusion. One that was far too hard for Hanna to listen to. "Just please get here." The blonde finished, feeling the soft tickle of a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Is Paige okay?" Aria asked, her voice like stone.

"No. Hurry." Hanna whispered.

When Aria and Spencer got to the road Emily was on, it was like hell had broken loose and was taking prisoners. They immediately went to Emily's side while Hanna tried to comfort Paige. After a debate over whether they should call the police to the scene or just take Emily to the hospital, Spencer convinced the other girls to dial 911. There was too much evidence at the sight to let anything possibly happen to it. Paige was the only one allowed to ride in the ambulance much to Spencer's distaste. She still thought Paige was trouble.

When the other four girls arrived at the hospital, Paige was pacing back and forth in a big, white waiting room, biting her nails and humming. She was worried sick, anxious to make sure Emily would pull through.

"How is she?" Hanna wondered, touching Paige's arm in comfort and offering a sympathetic gaze.

"Some minor cuts, pretty bad bruising, a broken wrist, and four broken ribs. The doctors said she is lucky." Paige choked out in a whisper, her head ducked. She really didn't feel like facing Spencer through all of this.

"She is lucky." Aria muttered.

"God, who would do this? And why?" Hanna pondered, her arms folded as if protecting herself from some unseen danger.

"I dunno. Paige, any idea?" Spencer darted, staring daggers at Paige.

"Please, don't start, Spencer. Don't hurt me more than I already am." Paige sternly asserted, facing Spencers judgment.

"I'm just asking a question. It was pretty lucky that you found her."

"Look, if you have a problem with me, I'm sorry. But you're her best friend. It's time you start acting like it. Do you think she wants this?" Paige snapped. She was right. Emily hated the prejudice.

"She has a point." Hanna supported.

"Oh, so now you're against me to?" Spencer raised her voice.

"Nobody is against you, Spence. But-" Hanna was interrupted by Aria chiming in, attempting to keep the peace as usual.

"Guys! Stop. We're wasting time. The sooner we figure out who did this to Emily the better." Aria said, her eyes skipping from each of the girls faces as if it would give her some ideas. "Who do we know that would want to hurt her?"

"Well there's the obvious. A." Hanna replied with a nod,

"But remember, we don't know who that is." Spencer corrected. "So with that mentality it could've been Jenna, Jason, CeCe." She continued.

"Do you really think Jenna or CeCe could beat her up that badly?" Hanna inquired. "I mean, four broken ribs, that's some pretty hard kicking. It had to be a guy, right?"

"Or it could've been completely random." Spencer suggested. Hanna cocked her head at the statement.

"What do you mean?" The blonde wondered.

"A top swimmer from a rival school or…a hate crime." Spencer shrugged, scrunching up her face as she thought hard.

"A hate crime?" Aria repeated, questioning Spencer while trying to make her own sense of it.

"Yeah. You know, a bunch of prejudiced morons trying to correct a flaw they see in the community." Spencer began to explain.

"No, I know what a hate crime is, I just don't know who would do something like that to Emily." Aria replied.

"Rosewood isn't exactly the most liberal city." Spencer stated.

"Yeah, but everybody knows Emily. Nobody has done anything past whispering in the halls about her." Aria remarked, confused as to where Spencer was getting at.

"Rosewood isn't the most straightforward city, either. People brood." Spencer responded, looking towards the double white doors leading to the patients wing. She wondered when the doctor would come through and let them speak with Emily.

"It should've been me." Paige rejoined with a mumble.

"Don't say that, Paige. It wasn't your fault." Aria put her hand on Paige's shoulder. She was conflicted. Paige had hurt Emily so much in the past, but loved her so much now. Aria didn't know which Paige to pass judgment from.

"Yes it was. We were so open, somebody probably saw us and- god, I can't believe it." Tears began to flow down Paige's face and Hanna felt the guilt burdening her. She too had been hostile towards Paige for lack of understanding how much she cared for Emily. The expression on Aria's face seemed to portray the same culpability while Spencer refused to even look.

"Emily was gay before she started dating you, Paige. Some ignorant asshole had a problem with that and they took it out on her because that's what _they chose_ to do. Em wouldn't want you blaming yourself." Hanna comforted the breaking girl, pulling her into a hug and not letting go until Paige's sobs had subsided and the doctor joined the girls.

"Can we see her?" Aria immediately questioned.

"Yes, but just be aware. She has several injuries so do not sit on her bed or shake her up to much." The doctor instructed, leading the girls to Emily's room. He left them right in front of the door waiting. None of them could bring themselves to enter.

After a few moments in silence, Hanna pushed the door open anxiously, entering with the other three trailing her. Emily was faced towards the window, but when she heard the girls enter, she turned. Her eyes immediately lit up when she caught sight of Aria, Hanna, and Spencer, but the look on her face when she saw Paige was unmatched. All anybody did was smile; smile because they knew that in that moment things were a little bit okay, smile because they were together, smile because A hadn't totally destroyed them yet.

"Hey, beautiful." Paige rasped, tears transforming her usually honey smooth voice into a barely audible whisper.

"Hey." Emily smiled weakly as Paige made her way over to the bed, leaning down for a kiss. Emily pulled away almost impulsively, leaving Paige with nothing except dejection on her face.

"I'm sorry." Emily whispered. She had been hit over and over for half an hour. She really didn't mean to reject her girlfriend, but having someone close to her body terrified her. Paige seemed to understand that and she stepped back a few steps, reluctantly granting Emily her wish and taking in the girls broken figure. Aria had her hand over her mouth in shock at how beaten Emily appeared. Spencer and Hanna had sorrow spreading throughout them.

"Oh, Em." Aria finally professed, coming to Emily's side along with Spencer and Hanna.

"I look that bad?" Emily quipped, eliciting a smile from Paige. Emily was still on some sedatives for the pain and it made her more lighthearted than usual much to Paige's amusement.

"You look incredible as usual." Paige beamed, placing her hand near Emily's who pulled her body away again.

"Please don't."

"Emily, I hate to bring it up, but do you know what happened to you?" Spencer asked, carefully. Emily nodded, much to Spencer's relief. "Who was it?" She said a little quieter for fear of upsetting her friend.

"I don't know." Emily replied, truthfully. Spencer sighed.

"You don't remember?" Hanna wondered.

"No, I remember." Emily closed her eyes as if having a flashback. "That's the problem...I just didn't know who they were. I already told the police everything I remembered. Which is a lot." Emily's voice quavered.

"You don't have to relive it if you don't want to." Paige urged, trying to keep Emily from getting too worked up.

"I just really think I need to be alone." The frail girl spoke softly. Paige, discouraged, nodded.

"We will be at Spencers if you need anything." Aria offered a disheartened smile, feeling immense pain for Emily, who nodded.

"Paige, I'll be in my car when you're ready." Hanna said. And then, Spencer, Aria, and Hanna left, leaving Paige with her girlfriend.

"Emily." Paige began, barely audible. "I am so sorry this happened to you. When I find out who did this to you, I will-"

"Paige. Stop." Emily begged. "I know you're angry and I know you're hurting, but I need to be alone."

"We are alone." Paige clarified. Emily shook her head.

"I mean completely alone." She reaffirmed, not meaning to sound as demanding as she did. She could see the discourage growing in Paige's once bright eyes.

"Oh." She responded.

"I'm sor-"

"No. I- It's fine." Paige replied, holding her head down as her tears began falling. "Really. I get it."

She then stepped away from Emily and ran out of the hospital feeling unwanted.


End file.
